While other East Bay cities like Berkeley and Oakland have held “restaurant week” events for at least a decade, Richmond has celebrated just a single day of restaurant deals in recent years. That’s all about to change as restaurants across Richmond prepare for a full seven-day spotlight in 2024.
Richmond is finally getting its own Restaurant Week as Taste of Richmond – an annual event celebrating Richmond culinary traditions that typically lasts a single day – is expanding.
From Oct. 7-13, diners are invited to participate in guided culinary tours, meet local chefs, and enjoy exclusive deals and menus.
RIchMOnd Restaurant WEEK
Richmond restaurant week runs Oct. 7-13.
For the full schedule visit tasteofrichmondca.com/
Participating venues include Johnny Boi in Point Richmond, Tacos El Tucán in the North and East, the Backyard in the Santa Fe neighborhood, and more. The culinarily curious can devour lunch from Assemble Kitchen and learn the basics of pickleball one day, and spend another afternoon sipping a variety of wines at Perfusion Winery.
Christina Kenney, chair of Taste of Richmond and the vice chair of the Richmond Economic Development Commission, said the event highlights establishments from different parts of the city.
“So first of all, everybody goes to Oakland, and I’m going to need you to pipe down. Richmond has everything.” Kenney said. “I love Richmond’s food scene.”
Kenney, a Richmond native, has her own local food traditions. When celebrating business wins, she often rides her bike to Golden Gate Bistro, sits in the courtyard, and eats her favorite meal (fried chicken and watermelon lemonade).
Many restaurants nationwide continue to struggle with high food and operating costs. Taste of Richmond, an initiative from Richmond’s Economic Development Commission, is designed to provide a boost for Richmond’s businesses and the city’s reputation as a food destination.
Kenney said people want to spend their money locally, but often do not know where to begin. She wants to start seeing reels and viral videos of people enjoying what Richmond has to offer.
“[Businesses] want people to come in, they want people to get to know their restaurants. That pre-COVID era where you would get up on a Saturday morning and you and your girlfriends would go have lunch,” Kenney said. “Not just at these Instagrammable places, but really spreading your dollars.”
Taste of Richmond kicks off this year on Oct. 7 with a digital campaign spotlighting local restaurants and signature dishes on Instagram. The page, @TasteofRichmondCA, will post “behind-the-scenes moments, exclusive interviews, and food photography.”
The next day, everyone is invited to lunch at CoBiz, where Cindy Howell, the owner of I Love Granny’s Kitchen, will be serving nutritious meals. Howell is planning to feature what she calls “The Soul Bowlz with Pride and Purpose.”
The “Cobizy Caribbean Bowl” includes jerk chicken, shrimp or tofu, curry brown rice and peas and plantains. The “YEE Bowl (Rich City)” includes mushroom fried chicken or pea protein meatloaf, mac and cheese or potato salad, collard greens, candied yams and cornbread.
Howell’s pop-up is dedicated to addressing the food desert in Downtown Richmond.
“We need to bring some of the economy back into Richmond. There are people there that are cooking, all over the place. There’s food in Richmond, but you have to know where to go to get it,” Howell said. “Richmond can be a food oasis if they come.”
Another highlight of Restaurant Week is happy hour at Factory Bar, which will be paired with bites from Tacos El Tucán, known for its Tijuana-style tacos made from flame-grilled meats and hand-pressed corn tortillas. Most of the recipes are family recipes, said Tacos El Tucán owner Alfredo Padilla.
Padilla was born and raised in Richmond, and opened Tacos El Tucán in 2019, soon transforming the venue into a takeout restaurant amid the pandemic lockdowns. He said the restaurant has stayed busy, but running a food business is still costly.
Events like Restaurant Week help by sending a positive message to people about Richmond, its culture, and its food, Padilla said.
“Richmond overall, it’s really not known too much for food, but we are on the map now,” Padilla said.
Restaurant Week wraps up on Oct. 13 at the Backyard. A face painter will be at the ready, and families can enjoy the Backyard’s October pumpkin patch.Â
The Backyard, which opened on Halloween in 2022, is an outdoor beer and wine garden, food truck, live music venue, and community gathering space.
Dominique Kauffman, who owns the Backyard alongside her husband Emmet Kauffman, said Richmond is still a growing city and one of the biggest challenges is attracting foot traffic. The Backyard is located in an industrial neighborhood in Richmond, right at the border of Marina Bay, Sante Fe, and Point Richmond. They serve burgers named after all three neighborhoods.
“I think it’s amazing what Restaurant Week is doing for our local businesses because it actually brings customers directly to our business and introduces them to our menu,” Kauffman said. “The astonishing thing is, a lot of people in Richmond may not even know we exist. This kind of support really goes a long way for small businesses.”
